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Stories
Princeton and the Ku Klux Klan
by Gabrielle M. Girard | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
During the early 1920s, Princeton students came into contact with local members of the Ku Klux Klan. Their interactions with the Klan reveal both curiosity about the organization and anxiety about the following it could develop on university campuses.
The Minstrel Tradition at Princeton University
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Princeton students performed in blackface in the 19th and 20th centuries, until as late as 1949. The legacy of Princeton’s minstrel traditions continues to live on in American culture through the popular folk song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”
"The Celebrated Alexander Dumas Watkins": Princeton's First Black Instructor
by R. Isabela Morales | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Alexander Dumas Watkins (1855-1903), a self-taught biologist, conducted significant scientific research alongside Princeton University professors from the 1880s until his death in 1903. Despite holding no formal academic position, Watkins worked in Princeton’s laboratories and taught courses as the University’s first Black instructor—and the last until the 1950s.
Endowed Professorships
by Ryan Dukeman | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Of Princeton's more than 160 endowed professorships and lectureships, four honor men who derived their fortunes from slave labor or contributed to the legacy of slavery in New Jersey and the United States.
Princeton and Mississippi
by Trip Henningson | Antebellum (1820-1861)
Princeton students and their families lived in the Mississippi area decades before statehood in 1817. From the 1790s to the Civil War, Mississippians at the College of New Jersey came from elite families who built their wealth on cotton and slave labor.
Primary Sources
"Nights of the Nightshirt at Princeton"
June 22, 1924 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of members of the Princeton Class of 1920 dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes at the University's 1924 Reunions celebration.
Clara Voorhees Obiturary
January 26, 1892 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
New York Times obituary for Clara Voorhees, a former slave and longtime chef at Princeton.
"Attacks Follow Defense of Klan"
June 7, 1926 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Princeton professor William Starr Myers compares the Ku Klux Klan to labor unions and other activist organizations in the New York Times.
Photograph from "All in Favor"
1948-49 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of Princeton students in blackface during the Triangle Club's performance of "All in Favor," which the New York Times called "a faithful imitation of the old-time minstrel show."
Letter from Harriet Beech
January 6, 1838 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
A letter from Harriet Beech, a member of the African American community in Princeton.
News
Princeton to Name Two Campus Spaces in Honor of Slaves
The New York Times, 4/17/18
Five months after the release of sweeping research into its deep historical connections with slavery Princeton University announced on Tuesday that it would name two prominent spaces in honor of enslaved people who lived or worked on its campus.
After 274 Years, Princeton Will Have Its First Black Valedictorian
The New York Times, 5/12/20
Nicholas Johnson, who was named valedictorian of Princeton’s Class of 2020, called the achievement especially significant, given the school’s struggle in recent years to confront its troubled history with slavery.
Putting the Ghosts of Princeton’s Racial Past Onstage
The New York Times, 11/6/17
The voices of enslaved people can be hard to hear in the archives. But they are front and center in the Princeton & Slavery Plays, a suite of seven 10-minute works that will have their premieres at the McCarter Theater on Nov. 18 and 19.
Princeton Digs Deep into Its Fraught Racial History
The New York Times, 11/6/17
Princeton University has a long history connected to slavery, which has remained hidden until now.
The Princeton & Slavery Project Mentioned on Legal History Blog’s “Weekend Roundup”
Legal History Blog, 11/11/17
Events
Princeton & Slavery: A Paradox of American History
Thursday, May 3
6:30 pm Reception; 7 pm Presentation and Discussion
Princeton Club of NY (15 West 43rd St.)
The Princeton & Slavery Project: What We Learned and How We Learned It
Saturday, June 2
8:45 to 10 am
McCormick Hall, Room 106